1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a rechargeable battery charging apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, worsening environmental pollution of the earth has increased the desire to use non- or less-polluting energy sources. For example, air pollution has been increasing, and vehicle exhaust gas is one of the major sources of air pollution in big cities.
In this context, research into commercialization of hybrid vehicles using electricity, a non-polluting vehicle energy source, as a power source for electric vehicles, such as electric automobiles or fuel cell vehicles, has been actively conducted. Electric vehicles generally receive electrical energy from the outside (e.g., from an external source), charge the received electrical energy into a battery thereof, and convert the energy stored in the battery into mechanical energy with a motor coupled to wheels to obtain power.
When a rechargeable battery is over-charged, a voltage within the rechargeable battery may increase, a gas may be generated within the rechargeable battery, and an internal pressure may increase due to the generated gas, which may result in expansion and explosion of a case of the rechargeable battery. Thus, a protection device for preventing abnormal overcharge of rechargeable batteries is desired.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention, and therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art.